


Shut Up and Dance With Me

by mayathedaydreamer



Series: Vices and Virtues [4]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Ballroom AU, Gen, References to Illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 06:47:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12789105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayathedaydreamer/pseuds/mayathedaydreamer
Summary: The memories fade but pain never does. It can numb though if willing to take a fall.





	Shut Up and Dance With Me

Time seemed to pass him by after the man before him left. He wasn't sure which flash came first or which woke him up. He saw a larger blond man with a coffee in his hand in the seat Will had just been. Then a letter and a folded flag. He closed his eyes tightly trying to push the thoughts away. Slowly he got up tipping the staff before heading out.

He spent most of the afternoon tapping and clicking his pen annoyed at the paperwork ahead of him. The applications for the competition were due that week and he had two people without a partner including himself, two sets with no song and a new dancer with incomplete paperwork himself.

"By Notch..." He muttered clicking the pen again before putting it down. "I hate paperwork." He groaned standing up moving to the stereo. He picked a slower song that made him smile as he desperately tried to cling to a faded memory of being on a pair of feet feeling as though he was floating.

The steps were not competition style but felt like he'd known them for most of his life. He never heard the bell chime nor the footsteps as his feet traced the long forgotten romantic or maybe familiar moves. He made the long turn to be face to face with William Strife.

Ridge's cheeks began to flush, "uh...hey...how long..."

"Five seconds tops. I'll get the music." Will said simply not so easily hiding a smirk from the man.

"Right the music. Just something to concentrate." Ridge said rubbing the back of his head moving to the desk once again seeing the mess of paperwork he'd left for himself.

"Waltz?" Will asked. Ridge kept his head down his cheeks going redder as he cleaned up the mess. "I didn't recognize a couple of the footsteps."

"Kind of. Waltz de la Voxel I suppose you could call it. My mother taught it to me I think. It's been so long since I learned that I can't remember which one did teach me." Ridge explained before sitting in the chair.

"Close to your family?" Will asked and Ridge glanced up to see him sitting in a chair against the wall.

"Was. I lost them." He said ignoring the paperwork. "Lost a lot of people. Some I remember some I don't but the pain never leaves."

Will gave a sympathetic smile, his right leg started bouncing. He rubbed his hands and took a deep breath. "Ridge, look...I'm uh, sorry about coffee earlier. My filter tends to break when I'm...comfortable and I'm actually really embarrassed."

Ridge held a hand up to stop him. "It's alright. Really, Will. I don't mind, and honestly I've had more awkward conversations with Lalna on a regular basis."

Will chuckled, and Ridge noticed the bouncing leg had slid into an odd position. "Right, well I um...I was practicing a bit of the Charleston at home and was wondering if you could give me some pointers. The push out steps are giving me some trouble and I don't feel confident I'm doing it right."

Ridge smiled, getting to his feet. "Oh, sure thing. Did you want to go to the practice room?"

"That would be great."

Will went to push himself up, but his leg didn't move with him, and he crumpled with soft yelp. Ridge, moving quickly, jumped over his table before Will knocked his head on the floor. Papers flew every direction. Will was breathing heavy, laying on Ridge who had put himself between Will and the floor with a loud grunt.

"You ok?" Ridge asked glancing up.

"Um yeah. Yeah I am... are you ok?" Will asked pushing away from his chest slightly.

"What me? Oh yeah totally. I swear that was more graceful in my head." He looked to his side to see one of the chairs.

"Think you can make it to a chair?"

Will pushed off him some more before laying back on him.

"Uh...no...so the thing is. I can't actually feel either of my legs currently." Will said before biting his lower lip.

"What?! What do mean? Are you seriously hurt?"

"What? No. No, I'm ok this happens from time to time. I'm going to just uh roll and if you could get up and help me to the chair."

Ridge's eyes widened in horror. "Will, that -."

"I-I'd really prefer to have this conversation while not laying on you please." Will pleaded, his face going red with embarrassment.

Ridge watched him a moment before nodding. He took a breath, letting Will lift one of his legs and placing it where he could roll before sitting up, his legs crossed in an awkward position. Ridge climbed to his feet, holding a hand out.

Will closed his eyes, taking his hand and letting Ridge help him into the chair. Will kept his eyes down, repositioning his legs and poking his left knee with a shiver. He mumbled, "There's the buzzing...good."

"What was all that?" Ridge asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't know honestly. It just happens. I got sick as a kid and we thought I was getting better but once in a while one or both of my legs just...go."

"Are you hurt?"

"What? Oh, no. No, I'm fine. Are you hurt? I'm pretty sure I landed pretty hard on you..." Will wouldn't look Ridge in the eye.

"I'm fine. I'm not the one who collapsed." Ridge said pointedly.

"Look, can you just drop it?" Will snapped, glaring at him. His expression read anger but his voice sounded worried. "I'd rather not talk about it right now."

Ridge watched him for a moment and sighed. He walked over to his desk to clean up his papers. "Okay. I suppose this is a good time to ask why you came into my office in the first place, then?"

"I was thinking about dropping out of the competition. There's no way we can find me a partner and there be enough time to practice to even have a shot at competing." Will said as Ridge stacked up the papers pausing slightly.

"You're not leaving the class, are you?" Ridge asked seeing his own application under his hand.

"I... don’t want to but I don't know." Will said rubbing his head slightly. He sighed moving to rubbing his legs again slowly moving them.

"Will...there is one more person I have that is partner less." Ridge said slowly.

"Someone came in?" Will's voice shook slightly.

Ridge turned around smiling gently.

"Will, Lalna's got Rythian now and I'm completely alone for the time being. The Charleston, the quickstep or any other one I don't care just be my partner."

Will's mouth fell open slightly. It seemed as though he was trying to replay what had been said.

"Ridge I've already...."

"Said no about thirty times now but that was before Rythian joined. Before I debated my own dancing career." Ridge said his voice very steady but his hand had started to shake slightly.

"You'll...you won't make me do the tango, will you?" Will asked his eyes widening more.

"No nor the samba. If the competition requires one of them I'll talk to Lalna or find someone else. To be fair I'm not a huge fan either." Ridge mentioned smiling shrugging.

"What do you say? Partner?" He asked moving to him extending his hand to him.

"After you've asked so many times...." Will paused looking at the hand then up at Ridge's eyes. "Alright. For now, partners if we can put together a quickstep in time." He responded grabbing his hand firmly.

"Deal." Ridge chuckled in response.

**Author's Note:**

> Will is never made aware of his condition but he suffered through sterile meningitis. It's nasty and nearly impossible to detect with multiple different tests.


End file.
